After 23 years, Ukrainian gymnasts make history with world championship victory
Photo: Ukrainian gymnasts win the World Championship for the first time since 2002 (facebook.com/olympicua)
At the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, the Ukrainian team claimed a long-awaited gold in group routines. This is a historic triumph for Ukraine on the world stage, the NOC of Ukraine reported.
The Ukrainian national team won a World Championship team medal for the first time in 10 years, while the group gymnasts sensationally took gold in the final with three balls and two hoops.
"The Ukrainians closed their performances at the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Rio, Brazil, with a bang. In the last final of the competition day–the routine with three balls and two hoops–no one could match them," the NOC said.
About World Championships
The World Championships were held in South America for the first time, in Brazil. The Ukrainian gymnasts spent 60 hours traveling and had almost no time to adapt. The humid climate and logistical difficulties added to the challenges. The team arrived in Rio on August 18. The competition began on the 20th.
Historic triumph for Ukrainian team
At the World Championships, Ukraine won its first team gold in 10 years.
The Ukrainian group had only once before taken World Championship gold, back in 2002, when they triumphed in the final with five ribbons.
This time, Yelyzaveta Azza, Diana Baieva, Valeriia Peremeta, Kira Shyrykina, and Oleksandra Yushchak sensationally won gold in the final with three balls and two hoops.
The judges awarded their performance 28.650 points, which was just enough to edge out the hosts by 0.100 points.
The last time Ukraine stood atop the podium at a World Championships was in 2013, when Hanna Rizatdinova took gold.
This victory became the true sensation of the tournament in Rio de Janeiro and gave Ukrainian sport a long-awaited moment of triumph.
It is only the second group gold in Ukraine's history at the World Championships. The first was in 2002.
Team and coach
The group's lineup changed frequently throughout the season due to injuries and heavy workloads. In the final, the Ukrainian team was led to victory by Iryna Blokhina, who managed to unite the squad after numerous changes and bring them to peak form for the year's main tournament.
Previously, Ukrainian gymnasts had won group gold only once, in 2002, in the final with five ribbons.
Earlier, we reported that a Ukrainian gymnast won a Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup for the first time in history.
